OPINION: A Reflection on International Stuttering Awareness Day

Oct. 22 marks International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) each year. The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY) notes that stuttering is a speech impediment that over 70 million people worldwide have. For me, ISAD is a day of celebration for voices that are often ignored or marginalized by the general public. This past ISAD, my Instagram feed was filled with posts from stuttering organizations and advocates celebrating their own voices. Some organizations took an informative and educational lens, while others remained humorous about the stuttering experience.

I myself am a person who stutters. For me, Oct. 22 is a bittersweet day. I’ll wish my friends who stutter a happy ISAD, and my Instagram stories are filled with stuttering joy. It included a variety of reflective posts from my friends who stutter as well as official stuttering organizations’s celebrations, such as The National Stuttering Association (NSA), Stuttering People Arts and Community Education (SPACE), and SAY, the latter two I am involved with on a personal level. ISAD gives me an opportunity to celebrate the best parts of what it means to be a person who stutters. I am fortunate enough to have found my place in the stuttering community from the age of 15, which has given me incredible friendships and partnerships, and has opened the door for me to even be a Meredith student and reporter today.

Yet, on ISAD, there may be a tinge of sadness for many people who stutter. Many of us may have spent our childhoods isolated and in belief that stuttering was a source of shame. That feeling of shame might never quite go away depending on the circumstances. While I consider myself to hold my stutter in high regard, I still find myself internally fighting off embarrassment after I stutter in class discussions on occasion. I know all too well what it’s like to be the only person who stutters in a room. I’ve shocked people before when I’ve mentioned that I didn’t know anyone else who spoke like me until I was 15. The experience of being a person who stutters can be lonely, which is what makes ISAD bittersweet. For many people who stutter, ISAD is a period of both reflection and celebration. It is a day for me to honor the little girl who stutters internally, ordering a different flavor of soda than what she would’ve liked because she is afraid to stutter on the words “Dr. Pepper.” It is a day to celebrate the woman who stutters externally, completely unafraid to participate in a political debate with her classmates and who serves as a broadcast reporter because she doesn’t fear taking up space any longer.

My personal opinion of my stutter has evolved significantly over the past five years. In a way, I am empowered by my stutter. I believe that I would not be the reporter I am today without my stutter. The moment I open my mouth, I am subconsciously opening a piece of myself to the people I interview. I am silently telling them that they are not alone. I am silently telling them that they are safe with me. I am silently telling them that I am automatically vulnerable, so please be vulnerable with me too if you so wish.

In my opinion, there is an extensive amount of information taught on ISAD through official stuttering organizations and individual advocates. When it comes to my own experiences as a person who stutters, I like to clarify some things. Firstly, I am not in pain when I am stuttering. My face and mannerisms may seem like I am hurting, but I am not actually in any form of discomfort as I speak. There is no need to worry about any of what occurs when I’m actively stuttering. Furthermore, my sentences do not need to be filled in. I know exactly what I am saying, and being interrupted by a well-intentioned person playing a guessing game is patronizing at best. Lastly, I am breathing just fine, thank you very much. I do not need to be reaffirmed in a soft voice to “slow down”, “relax”, “you got this”, or “just breathe.” It does nothing for me except cause frustration. If it wouldn’t be said to someone who doesn’t stutter, it feels unnecessary to say it to me.

In the meantime, before National Stuttering Week rolls around between May 13 and May 19, I recommend that those who don’t stutter, consume a piece of media about stuttering portrayed with accuracy and care. (And no, I do not think it should include only The King’s Speech or My Cousin Vinny.) Maybe it’s reposting something from a stuttering organization online. Maybe it’s watching the Discovery+ documentary My Beautiful Stutter, focusing on the perspectives of teenagers who stutter. Nevertheless, ISAD and National Stuttering Awareness Week emphasizes the value of holding patience and the hidden power of listening.

By Kat Whetstone, Reporter

Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC